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“The cocksucker planned for men to get hurt.” That was one thing Mike could not ignore. If he got his hands on the guy, he’d snap the motherfucker’s neck.
Shep released a sigh. “Hooley’s on it. He’s a good investigator and he won’t stop until he gets his man.”
“Does he have any leads?”
“You know Hooley. Closed mouth. He won’t give up anything until he has all of his facts.”
“What about the film?”
“After you guys had your say, he made the rounds, stopping at each fire station. The perp covered himself pretty well.”
“No one recognized that guy?”
Shep shook his head.
“Jared, Coop, Laredo and me went back to the Wimer place. Took another look around.”
Shep narrowed his eyes. Mike read the expression somewhere between disbelief and pissed the hell off. It was the look Shep gave when you didn’t know if he was getting ready to let you off the hook or ream you a new asshole. Mike quickly threw up a hand in defense.
“Look, Shep. I know we were supposed to stay away from the site, but things like this just don’t happen. Besides, it’s been weeks. We just wanted to scout around. See if we could come up with some sort of explanation.”
“And did you?”
“Well…” Mike hesitated as he rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s no way a man could have gotten by us unless he was in full gear. I just hope that guy on the film was the only one.”
Shep’s mouth turned down as he studied the desk calendar in front of him. “I can’t believe I didn’t consider another conspirator. After Hooley’s visit, I just thought it was the one guy.”
“This guy knows too much. To fit right in, walk among us like he belongs there … You think a firefighter might have had a hand in this?”
“I’m not ready to believe that, or the idea of an inside source. This guy could be working alone.”
“Our arsonist has balls. He walked right in and helped himself to Station Nine’s equipment. What’s to keep this guy from entering any of the stations?” Mike didn’t want to think of some criminal messing around the firehouse. Damn, what a staggering notion.
Shep seemed to consider Mike’s words for several minutes, then he wrote some notes in a book. He tossed his pen down on the desk. “The bastard walks in here, he’s going to get a nice surprise. I want every man on alert. I’ll give Hooley our suspicions. We’ll take a closer look at that film.”
Mike gave a nod. He wanted the prick caught. Now that there was a woman in his life, he’d rather spend his time thinking about her. Being with her.
“Got something else on your mind?” Shep closed the binder he’d been writing in.
“Nothing,” he answered a might too quickly. Cassie was always on his mind, but Shep didn’t need to know that. “The guys are keeping themselves busy. Glad to have some free time without a crisis.”
“You never know how long that will last.”
“Yeah, I know. By the way, did you, uh, call Tammy and tell her about your brother?”
Shep leaned back in his chair, making the seat creak. “Yeah, I called her.”
“Getting something out of you is like pulling teeth with a pair of pliers.” Mike rested one ankle over the opposite knee.
“What do you want to know? I called her. Told her Eddie would to see her.”
“What did she say?”
“Said she wanted me to go with her.”
“Is that so?” Mike enjoyed seeing Shep squirm. Even if there were no obvious signs, he knew the man was uncomfortable. When Shep didn’t offer anything more, Mike prodded him. “Was the woman civil to you?”
“Yep.” Damn, the man was tight lipped.
